Seeds
by Rose Stetson
Summary: More than a century after John Druitt became Jack the Ripper and forever dashed her hopes of "happily ever after", Helen decides to have his baby, and James Watson finds out.
1. Pregnant

February 1985

-

Dr. Helen Magnus paced around her office as she caught the side of her thumb nail in her teeth nervously. She wasn't the type to get nervous very often, but if ever there was a time for her nerves to flare up, it was now.

It was silly, she thought to herself, that a woman who had just passed her one hundredth and thirty-fourth birthday should be as nervous to see an old friend as a young woman who was meeting a beau.

"Helen!" Came the familiar voice of Dr. James Watson, one of her oldest friends.

"James." She managed, trying to hide her nerves as she gave him a slightly hesitant smile in greeting. "How was your voyage? It went well, I hope."

He noted the look on her face instantly. "It was fine, Helen. But what is the matter? You look don't look like yourself."

"Nothing." She said, brushing her fears away in true Magnus form. "May I offer you a cup of tea?"

"Helen, you should be the last person to even try to hide anything from me. I know when things are in turmoil. And you, my dear, are so unusually transparent that it's very nearly absurd." He said, raising an eyebrow."Now, what is going on around here?"

She swallowed as she unconsciously wrung her hands to release her pent up nervous energy.

For the first time in years, she thought about that year in London. Back when she and John had still been lovers.

_"Helen! Have you seen John? He and I had an engagement at the club, but I have not been able to find him anywhere."_

_Her trembling fingers closed the small leather-bound journal that she had been reading before she slipped it back onto the shelf where she had first seen it with a curious eye._

_She felt nauseous and dizzy. What had she done? She had created a veritable monster by allowing John to inject himself with the source blood. Why had she been so damned determined to learn about the evolution of the human race? Who else needed to suffer before she learned her lesson?_

_"Helen! Where are you?" James called again, this time closer._

_Helen felt her heart race in irrational fear. If the journal had been enough to lead her to the realization that John was the Ripper of which James would speak incessantly, it would give him the proof that he needed to convict and punish him as judge, jury, and executioner. After all, no prison could hold John against his will and the likelihood that a firing squad would be able to catch him and carry out his sentence was slim to none._

_No, she would find him, and she would convince him to abate his fiendish behavior. He loved her, and he had sworn to make her happy. She was counting on that promise._

_"There you are, Helen!" James said as he walked into the small study. "Helen?" He asked as he noticed her ashen face._

"Helen?"

She turned back to him.

"Helen, what is the matter?" He asked, studying her.

"Nothing."

"If you shan't tell me, I shall simply be forced to deduce your problem." He warned.

"I very much doubt that even you can determine my circumstance." She said evenly. Since their days at Oxford, they'd had friendly competitions to see who could outwit his deductions. They had always failed, but her situation was so peculiar that she highly doubted even the great Sherlock Holmes could deduce why she was so upset.

James studied her carefully as his eyes slowly scanned her face. Red, swollen eyes probably from crying recently. Multiple strands of hair were out of place which indicated to him a hastily knotted bun which had slipped down to rest at the nape of her neck. The faint indentation of a ring on her left ring finger told him that she had been wearing a ring, which had become too small, which she had tried to hide from him. Undoubtedly the antique engagement ring John had given her more than one hundred years before rested on the desk. Sure enough, it was only partially hidden underneath a small stack of papers. A breakfast tray had been taken from the room in haste, he noted when he saw the tea stain on the top sheets of paper while several nearly microscopic pieces of china dusted the desk.

He looked back at Helen. Her hands hovered nervously over her stomach, and he noticed that the skirt which she wore was a little bit tighter than it had been when she had worn it last fall in London just before the benefit gala which he had invited her to attend with him.

Suddenly, it all came together. "Where's John?" He asked.

She looked perplexed.

"Helen, you hid him from me once. I won't let you do it again. Even if that is his child that you're carrying."

She cringed.

"Helen, what on earth were you thinking?" He exploded. "He was the Ripper! His specialty is mind games. How could you invite him into this century?"

"He's not here!" She insisted. "He has been dead for a very long time."

"If he can die!" James parried.

She inhaled sharply as unbidden tears welled up in her eyes. "He can't have survived this long. Not if he continues to grow more and more insane. Somewhere along the path, he would have to die. At some point, his mind would be unable to handle anymore."

James softened. "Helen, his mind is altered every time he bends the dimensions of this reality. That does not necessarily that his mind will bend to the same demands which you believe leave him even remotely vulnerable."

Helen sighed. "James, I have to believe it. I preserved this embryo for more than a hundred years so that this child would never know the extent of his or her father's madness."

Her outburst was met with frightening stillness.

"Helen, I know that you do not wish to burden yourself upon anyone else, but I intend to stay near you and to offer any assistance that I can." James said after a moment of reflection.

"James, your offer is kind, but entirely unnecessary. My staff is perfectly capable."

"I did not say that I would offer assistance to this sanctuary. I said that I offered my assistance to you, Helen, and this time, I refuse to accept anything less than your complete acceptance of this arrangement."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he raised a hand. "If John was the man with whom you fell in love and the friend I most respected, he would ask that I watch over you if he was in some way unable to do so himself."

She had to admit that he was right. "Very well, I promise to keep you informed. But I must ask that you return to your post at the British Sanctuary."

"Helen..."

"James, the work at the Sanctuary is more important than any special circumstances in which I may find myself."

"I expect a telegram daily."

"Weekly." She countered.

"Very well." He accepted.

She sighed.

"Helen, you are the Sanctuary. You must care for yourself or you could lose all that you have worked for."

She was obviously uncomfortable by his words.

"Perhaps I should stay for a few days." He offered.

"You are certainly welcome to do so." She said with a small sigh of resignation.

"I believe I might. Thank you."

She nodded as the Sasquatch entered the room. "Will you show James to his quarters?" She asked her friend.

He nodded, gruffly.

James looked back at her after he'd turned to leave. "Helen?"

"Yes?"

"I did not mean to offend, only enlighten."

She nodded with a small smile. "I know, James. And I did not mean to seem ungrateful."

"You have much to think about." He said, understanding.

She nodded. "Exactly."

"I am here for you if you need me. Believe me, Helen."

She smiled softly. "I do, James."

"You are quite strong." He said with a smile. "I have not yet found something that the great Helen Magnus cannot do."

A faint smile crossed her lips as he left the room. She looked at her burgeoning stomach for a moment before she simply touched it, almost trying to reassure herself that the child swelling within her was actually there. Yes, she would survive, and she would protect her child from his or her father. There was no need for the child to suffer because of her mistakes.


	2. Home

Three months later

-

Helen sighed as she watched her team leave to recover another abnormal. With radio in hand, she sat at her desk, waiting to provide whatever support they ended up needing. She felt so utterly useless, she thought to herself.

There was a knock at her door, and she looked up. She grinned widely when she saw Dr. James Watson standing in the doorway. "I hope you don't mind that I've come for a surprise visit." He chuckled.

"Of course not." She said, standing slowly so that she didn't bump her gently rounded stomach against the desk's surface.

"You seem well." He said pleased.

"Is it that obvious?" She asked with a small smile.

He returned her chuckle as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"How was your trip, James?" She asked as she led him to the small parlor area beside the fireplace.

He helped her sit down before he took a seat across from her. "It was lovely. I've always enjoyed traveling beside the window so that I can see everything that I pass. It's just so lovely."

She nodded in perfect agreement though her gaze fell on the radio only a few feet away. She sighed inwardly.

"What is it, Helen?"

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head.

"Must I guess?" He asked with a soft sigh in gentle amusement.

She chuckled softly. "No. I simply did not wish to burden you with my concerns."

"After a hundred years, you believe me unwilling to hear your thoughts?" He tisked.

She smiled softly before sobering. "I suppose staying behind when my staff acquires an abnormal is harder than I believed it would be."

"I would imagine so." He agreed. "You have always wanted to remain a part of the action. Why do you think I kept from asking the question that Nigel asked when Nicola injected the source blood into your veins?"

She shivered involuntarily at the memory. "Yes, I suppose I always wanted to defy the standard conventions of the time."

"Medical school as a woman in the nineteenth century." He began. "Research scientist in the same nineteenth century, and the twentieth century, and you will probably continue on into the twenty-first century if I know you at all..."

She blushed.

"Of course, your father encouraged it."

"How could he not have encouraged it?" She asked with a chuckle. "He had no son to take over his work."

"And you complained loudly, I'm sure." He laughed.

"My mother complained enough for the both of us." Helen said, amused.

"You always were your father's daughter."

She shrugged. "I always knew that he was the smartest man I knew, but I could never prove it. I suppose that is what drove me to discover the secrets of the Sanctuary in the first place. I wanted to know everything that my father knew."

"And even he admitted just before he disappeared that you then knew more than he knew."

She blushed though the memory of her father made her somewhat melancholy. "He was simply being modest. Another of his infallible values."

"Your father was a remarkable man and a visionary scientist."

"That he was."

A moment passed as they remembered him.

"What sort of entertainment does your city afford?" He asked, looking over at her.

"Well, there are usually plays and musicals. However, I believe I might be able to find an opera." She said, looking over at him. "What strikes your fancy?"

"If there is anything from our era playing, I would appreciate it. If not, I will have to read the summary."

"That sounds fair." She said with a chuckle. "I will make the appropriate inquiries."

-

Helen walked into James's quarters nearly a half-hour later. She inhaled, trying to steady herself. Now was not the time to think about John, she told herself.

Besides the fact that she had a guest to whom she was trying to be hospitable, she also had a team searching for an abnormal. John would have to be pushed from her thoughts.

She knocked gently, and the Englishman answered the door in a smoking jacket and cravat. "Helen, please, come in." He said with a kind smile.

"Thank you." She said, entering his room. "How do you find your accommodations?"

"As hospitable as they have ever been." He said with a grin.

"Wonderful." She said, trying to manage a smile.

"Is something wrong?"

She looked at him, biting her lip before her eyes revealed that she'd decided to share her concerns with him. She offered him the piece of paper on which she'd written the possible performances. He studied her with a discerning eye as he took the paper before he looked down at it.

"_La Boheme_...a good opera." He said, looking at her seriously. "It may be true that Giacomo was abnormally nervous about its success...but the premiere was rather well accepted by the general populus."

"There's more." She said, biting the inside of her cheek.

"_Les Miserables_," he continued. "I have seen this one, I must admit. Still, if you have not seen it, I would be willing to see it again."

She shook her head before she pointed at the fifth line.

"_Twelfth Night_." He read as realization dawned. He looked over at her as he heaved a small sigh.

"John's favorite play." She whispered.

James thought for a moment before he returned the piece of paper to her. "If you would rather stay in tonight, I will honor your wish."

She shook her head. "It is your first night here. I should welcome you with a performance of some kind. Please...make your selection, and I will accompany you."

"If you're absolutely certain."

She managed a smile. "Of course."

She was too polite to admit her true feelings, he noticed.

"May I see the list again?" He asked, reaching for the piece of paper.

She nodded, grateful that he either hadn't seen through her rather pitiful excuse for a lie or that he had ignored it.

"There is a performance of "The Glass Menagerie"." He finally said, handing her the piece of paper.

"One of my favorite plays?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It is an unfortunate truth, but I have yet to see it."

"Oh?" She asked, surprised. She had first seen the play as a guest of Tennessee Williams when it had premiered in the United States in the 1940s. She had loved how the play had demonstrated how "abnormal" even humans felt when relating to one another.

He nodded. "Well, it is an American play, and I've been quite busy..."

She managed a small chuckle. "That has never stopped you before, James."

He offered a fairly casual grin as he shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps I have seen it. But I am getting older and my memory is fading."

"Never, James." She laughed.

He chuckled with her before she sobered slightly. "I will make the arrangements then?" She asked, amicably.

"Wonderful." He said with a smile as she turned to leave.


	3. Nightmare

So, so, so, sorry for the mix-up! This is the ACTUAL Seeds Chapter 3.

_-_

_She was performing an autopsy on an abnormal when she looked over to the small playpen to check on the baby. "Ashley?" She cried when she realized that the baby wasn't there._

"_Mummy!" The baby cried after flashing onto the examination table beside her._

_She gasped. "Ashley!"_

_She grinned before another flash caught her attention. She looked over at the flash to see John standing in front of her._

_She reached for the baby, but her arms went through the baby as if she'd tried to touch a hologram. "What have you done to my baby?" She demanded as she looked over at John._

"_Nothing." He said, laughing evilly._

"_Give me back my baby!" She demanded. "And get out of my house!"_

"_And you're going to do what to me?" He taunted._

"_What have you done to my baby?" She cried, rushing at him._

_She fell through his facade and onto the floor. When she looked back up, she saw her child and her lover disappear from view._

"_JOHN!" She cried with a depth of anguish she had never experienced in all of her years._

"_Helen..." A voice whispered._

"_No..." She whispered as tears welled up in her eyes._

"Helen..."

Her eyes snapped open to find James leaning over her. "Helen, are you all right? You were crying out."

She touched a hand to her stomach; she was still heavily pregnant which 39 weeks into her pregnancy was a good sign.

"John..." She whispered as she sat up.

"What about John?" He asked, studying her closely.

"I have to find a way to keep him out." She cried as she hurried off the couch.

"Helen!" He cried, hurrying after her.

She hurried to her desk, reaching for a piece of paper as she muttered to herself.

"Helen! Helen!" James cried as he placed a hand on hers. "Calm down."

"He's going to come and get the baby." She whispered, urgently. "I have to do something."

"I will help you do anything you want to do, Helen. But I need you to calm down. For the baby."

She inhaled and exhaled.

"What was your dream about?"

"He did...something...to the baby." She sobbed. "I couldn't pick it up. And then, he appeared. I tried to get him to fix the baby, but instead he took the baby to wherever he goes when he disappears."

He touched her hand gently. "Helen," he whispered, gently. "Breathe."

"I don't have time to breathe, James! My child may be in danger!"

"We will tell everyone in your sanctuary to keep their eyes out for him." He assured. "And we will find a way to prevent him from even thinking about coming into the sanctuary. You're going to be safe, Helen." He wrapped his arms around her as he tried to comfort her, a gesture which was much needed but quite rare for the great Dr. James Watson.

"What was I thinking, James?" She whispered as she pulled away from him a few moments later. "John frightened me before I had a child whom he could endanger. How could I have thought to bring this child into the world without positive proof that he could not harm us here?"

"You are tired of living your life alone." He answered simply.

His words were not malicious, but matter-of-fact, and she had to agree. That had been the reason she'd thawed the embryo which she and John had created near the end of their passionate love affair.

"Do you ever feel that way?" She whispered as her soft blue eyes pierced his warm brown ones.

"Actually, Helen, I do." He admitted. "Every day."

"What are we supposed to do?" She cried, looking heavenward. "We never asked for this twisted longevity..."

James put a finger on her lips, forcing her to look at him somewhat curiously. "Actually, Helen, as far as God is concerned, I believe we did ask for it."

"God?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "When you get to be my age, you start to realize that there are worse things than an Almighty God."

"I very nearly am your age." She reminded him.

He sighed. "Then perhaps it comes when you're so nearly decrepit as I am." He looked at her seriously. "Or perhaps I'm the odd man of the Five who believes that there is something more than oblivion waiting for us on the other side."

Her gaze was somewhat thoughtful as she contemplated his words.

"Now, Helen, are you going to be a good girl and go back to bed?" He asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hm?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Come on, Helen, I'm escorting you to your quarters where I trust you will do your very best to get a full night's rest."

"James, I do not need a full night's sleep to function." She sighed, exasperated. "Not the way that normal humans do."

"Then take a nap for the sake of your child." He said with a sigh. "Heaven knows you should be able to do that."

She sighed before she nodded. "All right..."

"Excellent." He said, standing and offering her a supporting hand.

She accepted it somewhat begrudgingly before they walked to her quarters.

"Thank you for awakening me from that awful nightmare." She said as they reached the doors.

"I am only glad that I was there to awaken you." He assured, gallantly.

"Get a good night's sleep for yourself, James. You need the rest more than I do."

He sighed before he nodded. "Yes, Helen. I promise to get the rest I require."


	4. Plan

James Watson was not one who enjoyed uncertainty. It was one of the reasons he was a forensic scientist, and not a physician like Helen. Helen - the time of her confinement had come and gone, but she insisted on remaining an active part of the Sanctuary until her child was born. Which should be any day now, he mused.

He walked by the entrance to her study for the third time that day, looking in to see if she was all right.

"May I help you, James?" Helen asked from where she stood behind him.

He turned in surprise. "Actually, Helen, yes...I was hoping that you could review for me the file you have on ___Nessiteras rhombopteryx__."_

"The Loch Ness monster?" She asked with an amused chuckle. She shook her head as she entered her office. "The Loch Ness monster is a myth that has been perpetuated to the present day in an interest to generate tourism to stimulate the economy in Scotland."

"Perhaps." He said with a shrug. "But I was hoping to see for myself."

She raised an eyebrow as she turned back to look at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "I've been meaning to visit Scotland for a number of years now, and I've decided that I might as well make it a business affair."

She laughed. "Oh, and make me pay for it."

He grinned. "What are friends for?"

She grimaced, placing a hand on her stomach as she turned back around to search for the file.

"Helen?" He asked, hypersensitive to her discomforts because of the advanced stages of her pregnancy.

"I'm fine." She said, taking a deep breath.

"Maybe you should sit down."

"James, I am fine." She assured, looking back at him before she turned back to the filing cabinet. She searched for the file for a few moments before she offered it to him. "There is a photocopier in the next room if you would like to make a photocopy."

"That might be helpful." He admitted. "But I've never used a photocopier."

She chuckled as she reached for it again, prepared to make a photocopy for him. "You sound more and more like an old man."

He chuckled. "I am one-hundred and forty years old, Helen. It would be appropriate for me to seem a bit old-fashioned."

She smiled as she took him into the next room and quickly photocopied the file before she turned back to him. "What were you really doing at my study?" She asked, turning a knowing eye to him.

"I cannot tell a lie, Helen of Troy."

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the nickname she'd finally shaken when Nigel Griffin had died. Still, she blushed at the thought of being compared with the most beautiful woman in Greek mythology.

James smiled as he realized how flattered she'd been at his comparison before he sobered. "I was actually looking for information on the Basilisk."

"Which has been extinct since before even we were born..."

"So were vampires." He said with a wicked gleam in his eye. "And look what we did with their blood."

"There is no forensic evidence that the basilisk survived into even the seventeenth century."

"Yet, everyone who looks upon it dies instantly. Who is to say that there are not basilisks in this century?"

She shook her head with a chuckle as she saw behind the ploy. "James, I know you're concerned for me, and I am fine."

"I know." He said, seriously.

"And even though you were the actor of the Five, you're not so talented that I cannot tell how nervous you are at the thought of my upcoming delivery."

He shrugged helplessly.

"I have made arrangements for my manservant to escort me to the hospital when the time comes."

"And your papers?"

"The local government and I have come to a certain arrangement." She said, seriously.

"Which is..."

"I handle all things abnormal, and they periodically send me a new birth certificate, driver's license, and all the appropriate documents."

"And I thought I had to be a hermit in my old age." James chuckled.

Helen chuckled as she touched his arm affectionately. "It is good to have you here, though."

"I would never leave you when you needed me, Helen." He said, seriously. "You know that."

She nodded. "Yes, James, I do. Thank you."


	5. Labor

___Two days later_

-

It was three o'clock in the morning when James was suddenly awoken by a knock on the door to his quarter. As quickly as he could, he put on his robe and opened the door. "Helen?" He asked, noticing the woman who stood, hunched over, in front of his door.

She put a hand up to signal silence for a moment before she exhaled noisily and stood uprightly again.

"Are you all right, Helen?" He asked, studying her closely.

"I will be fine." She assured. "But it is time to go to the hospital, and the rest of the team is in search of an abnormal."

"I will escort you." He said, seriously.

"You have time to dress, James." She said with a chuckle as he prepared to leave. "I need to call a car as I cannot drive, and I do not believe you have learned."

He shook his head.

"Then, dress." She said with a smile. "I will call a car, and we will leave when the car arrives."

"Do you need assistance to the telephone?"

She shook her head. "I will be fine, James. Dress, breathe, and we will be all right."

"As you wish." He said, trying to calm himself.

-

He met her in the study five minutes later. "Helen?"

She sat in the chair, her long hair hiding her face from him. "I'm coming." She assured.

"Are you all right, Helen?"

"Fine." She said with a slight sniffle.

He walked into the room and over to where she sat. "Helen?"

She wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry, James." She whispered.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Helen." He assured. "What's the matter?"

"I'm not sure." She said as the tears continued to slip down her cheeks. "I suppose I'm not sure how well I'll succeed at this..."

"At delivering your child? At raising your child?"

"Yes." She said, wiping her cheeks again. "All of it. I'm afraid, James."

"I've never done this before, Helen." He admitted. "And so I'm not sure what to say, but I don't think that anyone ever approaches the birth of a child without worrying about their effectiveness as parents."

She bit her lip, looking vulnerably at her oldest and dearest friend.

"You've never been unsuccessful at anything at which you've tried your hand." He assured. "And I am certain that this will be no exception."

"Have I lost my mind, James?" She asked, emotionally. "Have I made a mistake in bringing to term a child whose father is one of the most notorious serial killers of our day?"

"Helen, it's a little late to ask that question." He said, softly. "But John was not inherently unhinged."

"No, he wasn't." She said, nodding.

"I trust that you will be able to overcome any struggle that may come your way."

She nodded as her tears lessened.

There was a chime, and she looked at him with a nervous smile. "It's time to go, isn't it?"

He nodded and offered her a hand. Within a moment, her grip had strengthened dramatically and she had closed her eyes.

"Helen?"

"Contrac...tion." She managed with a ragged breath.

The chime rang again a few moments later as she relaxed slightly. "I will join you in a moment. Tell the driver that I am coming." She directed, gently.

He nodded. "Of course."


	6. Ashley

Fifteen hours later

_-_

"Dr. Watson?"

James stood up from where he'd been sitting in the maternity ward waiting room. "Yes?"

"Your wife had a baby girl."

"That's wonderful!" He cried, proudly. Suddenly, he realized what she'd just said. "My wife? Oh no, Helen's not my wife."

The nurse shrugged. "Anyway, she would like to see you."

He nodded. "Of course."

He followed her into the small room where Helen sat up in her hospital bed, holding a small bundle in her arms. "Hello, James." She greeted with a radiant smile.

He walked over and kissed her cheek gently. "Helen," he whispered.

"Do you want to see her?" She asked with a soft smile.

"I would love to see her." He said, looking over at Helen.

She pulled the receiving blanket further down so that James could see her daughter's face better. "I'm going to name her Ashley."

"She is as beautiful as her mother." He said, honestly.

Helen blushed, self-consciously as she reached up and tucked a few errant strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you."

"Helen, I am not exaggerating. She is absolutely breathtaking."

Helen smiled softly as she looked back down at her daughter. "She is." She said, tearing up. "She really is."

They were silent as they looked at the newborn for a moment. Helen looked over at her friend after a moment. "Would you like to hold her?"

"May I?"

She nodded. "Of course. Here. Hold her."

She gently helped him hold the baby with some extra support for her head.

"She's so small."

She chuckled softly. "You are entitled to your own opinion."

"When you've rested, I wi'll send a telegram to the Sanctuary to inform them of her birth." He said, looking over at Helen.

"Don't trouble yourself." She chuckled. "I can make a telephone call."

He looked at the child in his arms, and then he looked back at Helen. "John – the version of him that truly loved you – would be very proud of you and of your daughter."

Tears moistened her eyes as she nodded, gratefully. "She does look a great deal like him." She admitted.

"I know that, Helen." He said, seriously. "But she also looks a great deal like you."

"I should hope so," she laughed tiredly.

"You should rest." He said, returning baby Ashley to her arms. "And I should return to the Sanctuary to welcome your team."

"Thank you for staying, James." She said, gratefully. "You have been a tremendous source of support through this endeavor, and I will never forget it."

"I told you once before, Helen," he said with a look in his eye that mystified Helen. It was almost sad as if he was merely saying what she wished to hear. "I'm doing this as your oldest contact and as John Druitt's closest friend." He turned to leave before he looked back at her. "Helen, you are going to make a wonderful mother."

"Thank you." She whispered with a small smile as she returned to observing her newborn daughter.

He turned back to leave before she looked back up at him. "James?"

"Yes, Helen?"

"Will you be her godfather?" She asked, softly.

"I would be honored." He said with a faint smile.

"Thank you, James." Helen said, relieved. "With all that I've seen in my line of work, it will take a burden off my shoulders to know that should anything happen to me, Ashley will have a proper English gentleman as a role-model."

"Anything for you, Helen." He said, turning back toward the door.

Helen puzzled over his words for a moment before she looked back at her daughter. "Welcome to the world, Ashley." She whispered, gently.

James paused at the door, wishing for a moment that Helen was actually his wife as the orderly had intimated, and that Ashley was his daughter.

He sighed as he shook his head. A young, vibrant woman like Helen would never want a decrepit old man, kept alive only through the grace of God and Helen's ingenuity, like him for a husband or a lover. Especially after how entirely she'd loved her former fiance. No, he would instead be Helen's oldest contact and Ashley's godfather.

-

Helen looked down at her newborn daughter as he left. "Your godfather is one of the best men I've ever met. You'll discover how blessed you are to have such a gentle man watching over you."

For a brief moment, as Helen looked down at her daughter, she wondered what life would have been like if, instead of John, she'd fallen in love with the "smart" choice of her day – James Watson. "I wouldn't have you, Ashley." She whispered as she shook off her train of thought. "And after all these years, perhaps the damage has been done."

She would be the independent woman she'd made herself out to be more than a century before, and she would teach her daughter the importance of fulfillment in her life – regardless of her marital status or the number of children she had. She would teach her daughter to be like her – a strong and modern woman.

Who cried herself to sleep at night because she was lonely.

Helen sighed. Perhaps she would try to teach her daughter the things that she'd neglected to learn herself.


End file.
